Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 90s ABS-CBN American Animated Series

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or TMNT was an American animated television series that began back in December 28, 1987 starting as a 5-part miniseries and later becoming a regular Saturday morning syndicated series on October 1, 1988 with 13 more episodes. TMNT the cartoon series originally ran from December 28, 1987 to November 2, 1996. Contrary to its original Mirage Studios comics source that was created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series placed a much stronger emphasis on humor than the comics. The series was produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson Film Productions Inc (later Fred Wolf Films). Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series originally aired in various syndicated channels in the United States from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The cartoon series also fell victim to heavy censorship that time, In the UK, TMNT was released under the name Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aired in ABS-CBN around the 90s on a Saturday-Sunday morning block. Let's take a look back at the well loved turtles in a half shell, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The Story
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series Plot

An honorable ninja master named Hamato Yoshi, banished from the Foot Clan in Japan was exiled and moved to New York where he was forced to live in the sewers. One day he found four turtles, recently bought from a pet store by an unnamed boy who accidentally dropped them in the sewer. After exploring the sewers along with his friend rats, Toshi found the turtles covered with a strange glowing ooze that caused the turtles (most recently exposed to Yoshi) to become humanoid, while Yoshi (most recently exposed to sewer rats) became a humanoid rat, and started going by the pseudonym "Splinter". Yoshi adopts the four turtles as his sons and trains them in the art of ninjitsu. He names them after his favorite Italian renaissance artists: Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo), wears a blue mask and wields two Katana; Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (Donatello), wears a purple mask and wields the bō staff; Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael), wears a red mask and wields a pair of sai; and Michelangelo Buonarroti (Michaelangelo), wears an orange mask and wields a pair of nunchaku.

Oroku Saki, the man who deceived and disgraced Yoshi's name left Japan and tracked Yoshi to New York City, where he intends to destroy him once and for all. He become associated with Krang, a disembodied alien brain who has been banished from his home, Dimension X. Saki then took a new persona, donning a suit covered with razor spikes, complemented by a long cape, and a metal mask over his mouth. He has also taken on the pseudonym "The Shredder". The two is later joined by Bebop and Rocksteady, two street thugs morphed into an animal humanoid form by exposure to the Shredder's mutagen; and a small army of robotic Foot Soldiers. Their aim is try to destroy the Turtles and take over the world. In their quest to restore their master's honor, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo begin to take on the role of vigilante crime-fighters against any criminals. The team is later joined by Channel 6 reporter April O'Neil who usually needs rescuing from Shredder and later with another vigilante Casey Jones.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Opening Theme
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series Intro

The idea of anthromorphic group of teenage mutant ninja turtles protecting the world from evil was very entertaining to kids growing up in the 90s, myself included. It featured brothers bounded by a common cause who still have time to be jolly and happy. Looking back at it now, it sure has some phased out 90s funny moments but it doesn't hold well if you compare them with a much more serious tones of animated series nowadays. Well it was a different time back then and even if they followed the original serious tone of the comic source it was based from, it might eventually get censored out.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was purely for kids who won't dare to ask us what could have happened to the people living in that apartment that the Technodrome just destroyed. Well it was fun while it lasted. The show made me crave for pizzas back in the days. For a kid living in a small suburban provincial neighborhood, pizza became that dream snack. It made me ask who are those famous people behind the name of the four turtles making me know that besides being artists in their time, they were also scientists. There are also later incarnations of the Teenage Mutant ninja Turtles, but this one holds a special memory as this is the first TMNT animated series which the film also took inspiration from.

How about you guys, what's your fondest memory, episode, characters, or memorabilia of the 90s US cartoon show? Share your thoughts about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the comment section below: